Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Tuesday 18 December, of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department.

Notes:* Indicates a Question for Oral Answer.+ Indicates a Question not included in the random selection process but accepted because the quota for that day had not been filled.[N] Indicates a Question for Written Answer on a named day, i.e. the Member has indicated under S.O. No. 22(4) the day on which he wishes the Question to be answered.[R] Indicates that a relevant interest has been declared.

TUESDAY 18th
DECEMBER

1 N

Mr Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many complaints have been reported under paragraph 11 of the Civil Service Code since 13th May 1999; how many of these related to special advisers; and how many have been reported to the Civil Service Commissioners under paragraph 12 of the Code.

(23385)

2

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for Vote XVII, Cabinet Office, subcategory 3 Cabinet Office: civil superannuation; and if he will make a statement.

(24113)

3

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Middlesbrough South, of 19th November, Official Report, Column 80W, what work the Social Exclusion Unit is doing to ensure the implementation of its report on teenage pregnancy.

(24245)

4

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans there are to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of J M W Turner's death; and what plans there are to create a single national collection of his works.

(24175)

5

Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been spent by the Millennium Commission; what amount the Commission has allocated but is yet to distribute; what amount is available and unallocated to projects; and if she will make a statement.

(24136)

6

Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received about making the Millennium Dome a listed building; what the earliest possible date for listing the Dome would be; and if she will make a statement.

(24130)

7

Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received regarding the issuing of public entertainment licences; and if she will make a statement.

(24133)

8

Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to implement the proposals outlined in 'Time for Reform'; what estimate she has made of the timescale for implementation; and if she will make a statement.

(24132)

9

Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many projects have been given grants by the Millennium Commission; what proportion of the projects have been completed on time; how many Millennium Commission projects are yet to be completed; if she will list those projects which are (a) more than 12 months behind schedule and (b) which have been aborted, along with their value; and if she will make a statement.

(24135)

10

Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she expects the Millennium Bridge to re-open; what the total cost of this project has been; what the cost of repair work carried out on the Bridge has been; who is responsible for the extra cost; and if she will make a statement.

(24134)

11

Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of total Millennium Commission expenditure has been spent in the Greater London area; and if she will make a statement.

(24137)

12

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Answer of 12th December, Official Report, column 889W, on capital assets, if she will place in the Library information on the accounting treatment of the public private partnership projects relating to (a) British Library corporate bibliographic services, (b) British Library provision of catering services and (c) the Royal Parks Embassy Pembroke Lodge; and if she will make a statement.

(24258)

13

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether residential homes have to purchase television licences for televisions that are watched by residents over the age of 75 years and other people.

(24226)

14

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people benefit from the £5 concessionary television licence scheme; and, in the last year for which figures are available, how many people stopped being entitled to a reduced fee licence because the (a) social mix and (b) level of warden cover at their accommodation changed.

(24225)

15

Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on what date she received the responses to consultations about the Arts Council of England's proposals to merge the regional arts boards to create a single organisation for arts funding; and if she will place a copy of the responses in the Library.

(24080)

16

Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on what date she received the business plan supporting the Arts Council of England's proposals to merge the regional arts boards to create a single organisation for arts funding; and if she will place a copy of the plan in the Library.

(24081)

17

Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the Chairman of the Arts Council of England's handling of the proposals to merge the regional arts boards to create a single organisation for arts funding.

(24077)

18

Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will assess the Arts Council of England's proposals to create a single organisation for arts funding against the criteria for new organisations established by her Department.

(24082)

19

Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the Go Digital research programme.

(24079)

20

Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the funding of arts in England.

(24076)

21 N

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what deployment of British military personnel there is in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

(23640)

22 N

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his latest estimate is of (a) the deployment of United Kingdom military personnel in the Afghan theatre of war and (b) the total value of ordnance dropped in the conflict.

(23639)

23 N

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total number of United Kingdom military personnel serving in Afghanistan is; and under whose command they operate.

(23644)

24 N

Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if letters and parcels from services personnel on active service overseas are carried free of postage; if letters and parcels for families to service personnel at BFPO addresses are carried free of postage; if he will call for a report about postal services offered free of charge to US services personnel; and if he will make a statement.

(24032)

25

Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what bids were submitted to provide maintenance and support services for the EJ200 engines for the Royal Air Force Eurofighters; what was the cost of these bids; what timescale was given; and if he will make a statement.

(24155)

26 N

Mr Martyn Jones (Clwyd South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of UK military aircraft avoiding Spanish airspace over the last year.

(23814)

27 N

Mr Martyn Jones (Clwyd South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many joint military operations with (a) other EU partners and (b) non-EU states have taken place in Gibraltar in each of the last three years.

(23815)

28 N

Sandra Osborne (Ayr): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost is of the HMS Gannet site, including rates and utilities.

(23935)

29 N

Sandra Osborne (Ayr): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if serving personnel based at HMS Gannet are renting private accommodation to armed forces personnel based at HMS Gannet (a) as part of the Hambros scheme and (b) by other methods.

(23936)

30 N

Sandra Osborne (Ayr): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military personnel who are in the Hambros scheme were previously accommodated at HMS Gannet.

(23937)

31 N

Sandra Osborne (Ayr): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the cost of the leases of HMS Gannet site are (a) detailed and (b) publicly available in the asset register of Defence Estates.

(23938)

32 N

Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to what he attributes the increase in servicemen medically downgraded between August 2000 and November 2001; and if he will make a statement.

(21739)

33 N

Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the operational welfare package for servicemen and women not based at camps South and Sha'ata during exercise Saif Sareea II.

(21743)

34 N

Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 12th December, Official Report, column 861W, on prisoners of war in the Far East, if he will state the assumptions on which budgetary provision was made for his ex-gratia payment scheme for former British civilian internees of the Japanese.

(23768)

35 N

Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library the (a) working assumptions and (b) calculations that his Department made regarding the number of potential claimants in respect of the ex-gratia scheme for former civilian internees of the Japanese.

(23769)

36

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for Vote VI, Defence, subcategory 2 Defence: Armed Forces retired pay, pensions etc; and if he will make a statement.

(24115)

37

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on when the Government will sign the contract for the A400M.

(24180)

38

Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when the Government will respond to the UK Youth Parliament's Manifesto.

(24058)

39 N

Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans she has to reform the education standard spending assessment.

(21560)

40

Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many free nursery places were not taken up in Staffordshire in the 2000-01 academic year.

(24061)

41

Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations she has received from Staffordshire on early years development funding in this financial year; and if she will make a statement.

(24060)

42

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, on what date she will send her formal response to Surrey's basic needs assessment application.

(24119)

43 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the total projected spend this financial year is on the LSC (a) administration and (b) staff budget and what percentage of its total budget will be spent on administration.

(23928)

44 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what checks were carried out to prevent multiple ILA applications from single addresses.

(23439)

45 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether individual learning account numbers were randomly generated.

(23435)

46 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when pending ILA applicants will be validated so that training providers can be paid outstanding money.

(23437)

47 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much VAT it is estimated that the Learning and Skills Council will pay in the current financial year.

(23926)

48 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when the joint inquiry by her Department and the Office for National Statistics into the leak of keystage 2 results during the week of 11th September will be (a) completed and (b) made public.

(23930)

49 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether her Department has written contracts with training organisations providing services to ILA holders.

(23438)

50 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, on what date her Department received the LSC request for an increase in its administration budget.

(23929)

51 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how the premises of training organisations dealing with ILA holders were inspected with regard to (a) the training stations available and (b) the training qualifications of staff.

(23436)

52 N

Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the projected staff numbers were for the Learning and Skills Council in its first year of operations, and how many staff are in post.

(23927)

53

Mr Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what her policy is on ensuring that individual schools have resources to provide for the needs of exceptionally able children; and if she will make a statement.

(24075)

54

Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if she will introduce a GCSE in Road User Studies based on the GCSE run by the Northern Ireland Education Department.

(24156)

55 N

Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what funds allocated by (a) her Department and (b) its executive agencies are ring-fenced for specific purposes; and if she will list the allocations of funds involved.

(22955)

56

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for Vote I, Department for Education and Employment, subcategories (a) 1 Department of Employment: programmes and central services and (b) 5 Surestart; and if she will make a statement.

(24111)

57

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Answer of 12th December, Official Report, column 889W, on capital assets, if she will place in the Library information on the accounting treatment of the public private partnership projects relating to (a) Birmingham Schools refurbishment project, (b) Sheffield City Council Group Schools Projects, (c) Imperial College, (d) Essex LEA New School, Loughton, (e) Kingston upon Hull Primary School and (f) Human Resources Partnership; and if she will make a statement.

(24178)

58

Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if she will list the cost of estimated repair or renewal work needed over the next five years for each local education authority, as listed in the LEA asset management plans submissions to her Department.

(24102)

59

Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what criteria she uses in determining the briefing information she provides to external organisations about honourable Members when seeking responses to written questions.

(24103)

60 N

Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the ABI in relation to the agreement between the government and the ABI to ensure flood cover is provided in respect of previously flooded properties.

(23988)

61 N

Malcolm Bruce (Gordon): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the total amount of poultry (a) produced and (b) sampled for (i) nicarbazin, (ii) lasaloci, (iii) dimetridazole and (iv) other residues in the last month of (A) 1998, (B) 1999, (C) 2000 and (D) 2001.

(23594)

62 N

Malcolm Bruce (Gordon): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 5th December, Official Report, column 395W, on the Advisory Group on Veterinary Medicines, what plans she has to make available the AGVR minutes before the Food Standards Agency 'Feed Additives in Poultry' stakeholders meeting on 16th January 2002.

(23645)

63

Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will introduce electronic tagging and data collecting for cattle; and if she will make a statement.

(24070)

64

Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures she is taking to ensure the timely payment of IACS cheques.

(24071)

65 N

Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many residential properties in (a) the UK and (b) Sheffield, Hillsborough were newly connected to mains sewerage in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many residential properties in the constituency of Sheffield, Hillsborough remain unconnected.

(23922)

66 N

Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many residential properties in the UK were not connected to mains sewerage in (a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) 2000.

(23921)

67 N

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to discourage the long distance transport of live animals between farms, markets and abattoirs.

(23932)

68 N

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to encourage the export of sheepmeat rather than live sheep and lambs; and if she will make a statement.

(23931)

69 N

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proposals she has to encourage the provision of local abattoirs.

(23934)

70 N

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures she proposes to reduce the number of journeys undertaken by live animals between farms, markets and abattoirs.

(23933)

71

Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the likely charge per unit waste disposal authorities will make to householders for the disposal of (a) refrigerators, (b) deep-freezers, (c) fridge-freezers and (d) air conditioning units after 1st January 2002.

(24168)

72

Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost per unit for the disposal of the liquid refrigerant in (a) refrigerators, (b) deep-freezers, (c) fridge-freezers and (d) air conditioning units.

(24169)

73

Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure the separation of different types of refrigerant liquids extracted from waste appliances.

(24167)

74

Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will issue advice on the storage of waste refrigeration equipment before 1st January 2002.

(24166)

75

Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding options she is considering to assist local authorities in the storage and processing of waste refrigeration equipment.

(24165)

76 N

Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial support there is for farmers who grow organic crops; and if she will make a statement on organic farming.

(22864)

77 N

Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many GM crop sites there are in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement on GM crops.

(22868)

78 N

Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received in respect of the harmonisation of Civil Service pay and conditions; what proposals he is considering in respect of the reform of Civil Service pay scales; and if he will make a statement.

(21454)

79

Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in the Portsmouth South constituency (a) received and (b) were entitled to (i) WFTC, (ii) DPTC and (iii) child tax credit in (A) 2000-01 and (B) 2001-02.

(24154)

80 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assumptions the regulatory impact assessment on the Tax Credits Bill made about the number of claimants of (a) the working tax credit and (b) the child tax credit.

(23999)

81 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many households ceased to claim WFTC during 2000-01 due to an increase in income.

(23990)

82 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the level of discrimination suffered as a consequence of employees claiming DPTC.

(24000)

83 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what factors he will take into consideration when determining (a) the taper and (b) rates of the different elements of the working tax credit and child tax credit as set out in clauses 9 and 11 of the Tax Credits Bill.

(23997)

84 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost will be of extending the child tax credit to those who cannot claim the children's tax credit.

(23992)

85 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the impact on the number of claimants of (a) increasing and (b) decreasing by 10 per cent the top rate for (i) WFTC, (ii) DPTC and (iii) children's tax credit.

(23989)

86 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost will be of replacing the national income from savings and investment with actual income earned in the calculation of tax credits.

(24002)

87 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of (a) WFTC , (b) DPTC and (c) children's tax credits on (i) wage rates and (ii) incentives for those in work to move to higher paid jobs.

(23991)

88 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he made of the number of reassessments a claimant of (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit would make in a year, in calculating the impact on businesses of the Tax Credit Bill.

(24005)

89 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of administering (a) the child tax credit and (b) the working tax credit.

(24004)

90 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many recipients of (a) the WFTC and (b) DPTC worked (i) 30 hours and over and (ii) 16 hours and over in (A) 1999-2000 and (B) 2000-01.

(23994)

91 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the cost of new (a) IT and (b) telephone systems to deliver the proposed new tax credits.

(24003)

92 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the impact of the Tax Credits Bill on the targeting of support for families with children.

(24001)

93 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment of the cost of childcare he has used to determine the rate of the child care tax credit.

(23996)

94 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the fiscal impact of the Tax Credits Bill in accordance with section 23(b) of the Code for Fiscal Stability.

(23993)

95 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Childcare tax credit on child care costs.

(23995)

96 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) two parent families and (b) lone parents (i) claimed and (ii) were eligible for childcare tax credit in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

(24031)

97 N

Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his estimate is of the cost of printing, publishing and distributing the HM Treasury publication, Reforming Britain's Economic and Financial Policy: Towards Greater Economic Stability; how many copies of this publication are to be produced; what sales proceeds are anticipated; what the net estimated cost is; and if he will make a statement.

(23245)

98 N

Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what action he plans to take in order to avoid avoidance of income tax liabilities by individuals who pay tax at the upper income tax rate of 40 per cent. by use of capital gains tax; and if he will make a statement.

(23246)

99 N

Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his estimate is of the cost of each tax credit for each of the years 2001-02 to 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

(23248)

100 N

Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many representations he has received on the interim conclusions of the Wanless Report on health funding; what representations he has received from other government departments; and if he will make a statement.

(23249)

101 N

Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy not to allow (a) social insurance, (b) a ring-fenced hypothecated tax and (c) additional health user charges as solutions for the future funding mechanism for the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

(23659)

102 N

Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce the VAT payable on telephone bills for pensioners; and if he will make a statement.

(23330)

103

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 11th December, Official Report, column 765W, on capital assets, which definition of investment he used in answering on (a) on the level of investment provided through PFI and (b) the level of total investment; and if he will make a statement.

(24127)

104

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 12th December, Official Report, column 889W, on capital assets, if he will place in the Library information on the accounting treatment of the public private partnership projects relating to (a) office automation in Customs and Excise, (b) NIRS2, (c) Manchester Inland Revenue offices, (d) Stockport Inland Revenue, (e) Bootle St. John's House, (f) Newcastle Estate Development Scheme, (g) CCTA MTS Telecoms Service and (h) Treasury GOGGS Building; and if he will make a statement.

(24256)

105

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the initial voted annually managed expenditure and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for the accounting and other adjustments category; and if he will make a statement.

(24109)

106

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what percentage of total compliance costs for employers the reduction listed in paragraph 2.20 of the Inland Revenue Regulatory Impact Assessment for the new tax credits is; and if he will make a statement.

(24129)

107

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the final departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn rows relating to the Capital Modernisation Fund in Table 1 of the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn are blank; and if he will make a statement.

(24106)

108

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 11th December, Official Report, columns 769-70W, for what reason the Capital Modernisation Fund capital budget line for financial year 2000-01, Table B16 of the Treasury document, 'Pre Budget Report 2001' is blank; and if he will make a statement.

(24126)

109

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what means the child care element of the working tax credit will be paid to the main carer.

(24237)

110

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 18th October, Official Report, column 1296W, how much each of the campaigns publicising the working families tax credit cost.

(24216)

111

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason it was decided to base entitlement to the child tax credit and the working tax credit on current year income.

(24232)

112

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Birkenhead, of 12th November, Official Report, Column 585W, what assessments have been undertaken which show that the level of fraud on inactive national insurance accounts is no higher than for live accounts.

(24247)

113

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the minimum age of working tax credit recipients will be.

(24233)

114

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Regents Park and Kensington North, of 27th November, Official Report, Column 868W, if the figure for the number of children lifted out of poverty since 1997 is net; and according to the same definition of poverty, how many children have entered poverty since 1997.

(24243)

115

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether entitlement to the child tax credit and the working tax credit will be based on net income.

(24231)

116

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library (a) a summary and (b) a complete set of the responses to the Inland Revenue consultation paper, 'New Tax Credits'.

(24241)

117

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the marginal rates of tax and benefit withdrawal for pensioners are (a) in 2001-02 and (b) from October 2003.

(24235)

118

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many WFTC recipients have (a) no income tax liability and (b) an income tax liability that is (i) lower and (ii) higher than the value of their WFTC entitlement.

(24248)

119

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Northampton, of 31st October, Official Report, Column 743W, how many families in each region are eligible for the children's tax credit.

(24223)

120

Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many British films produced in 1999-2000 claimed the 100 per cent. tax write off during the first year; and what the total loss was in tax revenue resulting from these claims.

(24083)

121

Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last met Mr Jack Velenti of the Motion Picture Association of America; and what representations he has received from Mr Velenti about extending the section 48 tax concession permitting qualifying British films with budgets under £15 million to claim 100 per cent. write off in the first year.

(24084)

122 N

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representatives of which (a) governmental and (b) quasi-governmental organisations his officials are in contact with in Somalia; and if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards relations with Somalia.

(23642)

123 N

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contacts his officials have had with (a) representatives of Iraqi Kurdish groups, (b) the Kurdish parliament and (c) the Government in Baghdad covering the future of the northern part of Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

(23641)

124 N

Mr Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps UK posts abroad are taking to ensure that copies of the Home Office pack for Victims of Homicide, 3rd edition, are being made available to families of UK subjects murdered abroad.

(23386)

125 N

Mr Martyn Jones (Clwyd South): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to discuss the issue of Spain's access to the airport in Gibraltar with the Governor of Gibraltar.

(23765)

126 N

Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will investigate the application for entrance to the UK made by an individual whose name has been communicated to him, to the Istanbul Embassy; and if he will make a statement.

(23328)

127

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Answer of 12th December, Official Report, column 889W, on capital assets, if he will place in the Library information on the accounting treatment of the public private partnership projects relating to (a) the Berlin Embassy, (b) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Telecommunications Network, (c) GCHQ Building, (d) car leasing and (e) IT Registry (Minerva); and if he will make a statement.

(24257)

128 N

Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which countries (a) hold and (b) are suspected of holding stocks of (i) chemical weapons, (ii) biological weapons and (iii) nuclear weapons.

(22865)

129 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will bring forward the draft Bill for reform of the Mental Health Act 1983.

(22957)

130 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessments he has made of the compliance of the Review Panels to be established in order to adjudicate on the liability under Coughlan v North Devon Health Authority, C.A. 1999 of a patient's property to be charged to pay for nursing home fees under Department of Health circular HSC 2001/015:LAC(2001)18 of 28th June, 2001 with Article VI of the Human Rights Act in (a) composition and (b) independence.

(22958)

131

Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason the term headaches was not included in the National Service Framework on longterm neurological conditions.

(24057)

132

Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what investment has been made to improve access to NHS dentists in Staffordshire since 1997.

(24072)

133

Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) ambulances and (b) paramedics there were per 1000 population in (i) Staffordshire, (ii) other similar authorities and (iii) England, in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

(24074)

134

Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the infant mortality rate in Burton was in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

(24073)

135

Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many free eye tests were undertaken in Burton in each year since 1995.

(24063)

136 N

Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funds allocated by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies are ring-fenced for specific purposes; and if he will list the allocations of funds involved.

(22954)

137

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Answer of 12th December, Official Report, column 889W, on capital assets, if he will place in the Library information on the accounting treatment of the public private partnership projects relating to (a) Leicestershire & Rutland Headquarters NHST, (b) York Health Services NHST Provision of MRI Service, (c) Leeds Community & Mental Health NHST Information System, (d) Rotherham General Hospitals NHST Entrance Redevelopment, and (e) Royal National Orthopedic NHST; and if he will make a statement.

(24177)

138 N

Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how long the Bournewood Community and Mental Health NHS Trust will remain in existence; and what will be the cost of (a) consulting on and (b) implementing a change of name.

(23331)

139

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Metropolitan Police officers have been recruited from (a) Surrey Police and (b) service at Epsom Police Station in each of the last three years.

(24118)

140 N

Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funds allocated by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies are ring-fenced for specific purposes; and if he will list the allocations of funds involved.

(22952)

141

Mr Ian Taylor (Esher & Walton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward measures to increase the severity of sentences of people convicted of serious sexual crimes.

(24131)

142

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for Vote IV, Home Office and Charity Commision, subcategory 1 Home Office administration, police, probation, immigration and other services, England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

(24112)

143 N

Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role specialist detectives will take on; and how many there will be.

(22866)

144 N

Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what awards will be given to police officers on the front line; and how an officer will qualify for an award.

(22867)

145 N

Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, when and on how many occasions the Chairman and individual members of the Commission have received complaints concerning the conduct of the Commissioner for Standards.

(23666)

146 N

Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the annual cost was of meeting the staffing needs of the Select Committee on Standards and Privileges in each year since its establishment; and what his estimate is of the (a) funding requirements and (b) staffing needs of the Select Committee in the next three years.

(23665)

147 N

Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many times the Commission has met in the past two years; how this body is serviced; how many staff at what grades are attached to the Commission; what the job title is of each post; by what method the staff are recruited; what the breakdown is of employees by (a) gender and (b) ethnicity; and what plans he has to make the work of the Commission more transparent.

(23664)

148 N

Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield): To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many people have been employed by the Refreshment Department in each year since 1990.

(21657)

149 N

Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield): To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many of those employed by the Refreshment Department in each year since 1990 have been managers.

(21658)

150

Mr Paul Stinchcombe (Wellingborough): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what his definition is of a guest house of the Wolsey Lodge variety; and how it is differentiated from other forms of accommodation for judges on circuit.

(24100)

151

Mr Paul Stinchcombe (Wellingborough): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will list the average cost of running judges' lodgings per judge accommodated at each of the individual lodgings in the Lodging Estate for the financial years (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99, (c) 1999-2000 and (d) 2000-01.

(24128)

152

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for Vote V, Lord Chancellor's and Law Officers' Departments, subcategories (a) 1 Lord Chancellor's Department and (b) 6 HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor; and if he will make a statement.

(24116)

153

Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment has been made of responsibility for the armed theft of electrical goods from a warehouse near Belfast on 21st November.

(24141)

154

Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment has been made of responsibility for the armed robbery of cigarettes at Belfast docks in June.

(24097)

155

Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list (a) the number of patients treated at hospitals in Northern Ireland as a result of paramilitary attacks, broken down by type of injuries and (b) the number and type of operations carried out on patients whose injuries have been received as a result of paramilitary attacks in each of the past five years, indicating the cost of treating such patients.

(24101)

156

Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment she has made of the effects on Scotland of the SNCF restriction of Channel Tunnel rail freight services.

(24099)

157 N

Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what has been the cost to date to public funds of decommissioning of nuclear power plants.

(23924)

158 N

Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has received in respect of the impact of the new electricity trading arrangements; what have been the concerns raised most frequently by these representations; and what plans she has for assessing the operation of the new electricity trading arrangements after a specified period of time.

(21453)

159 N

Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to run an advertising campaign to reduce packaging waste; and if she will make a statement.

(23817)

160 N

Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what action she has taken to promote the 'Your Guide', initiative; and if she will make a statement.

(23592)

161 N

Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether it is her policy to cap the number of post office card accounts; and if she will make a statement.

(23591)

162 N

Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on whether new initiatives to support the sub post office network are expected to be delivered within the planned timetable.

(23593)

163

Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many representations she has received since 1st October from (a) honourable Members and (b) members of the public concerning the use, misuse and sale of fireworks.

(24140)

164

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessments she has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01 as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for Vote IX Trade and Industry and Export Credit Guarantees Department subcategories (a) 1 Department of Trade and Industry: programmes and administration and (b) 2 Department of Trade and Industry: science; and if she will make a statement.

(24105)

165

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the difference between the initial voted annually managed expenditure and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for the Export Credit Guarantees Department and the self-financing public corporations categories; and if she will make a statement.

(24108)

166 N

Paddy Tipping (Sherwood): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, for what reason a distinction is not made in the draft Renewables Obligation between conventional mixed waste incineration and energy from waste residue after separation, recycling and materials recovery.

(23384)

167 N

Mr Shaun Woodward (St Helens South): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) interim and (b) final payments were made between (i) 1st January and 1st July and (ii) 2nd July and 1st December to vibration white finger claimants in St Helens South.

(22956)

168

Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what percentage of European funding available to (a) Cornwall, (b) South Yorkshire, (c) Merseyside and (d) West Wales and the Valleys under the Objective 1 Programme has been committed to projects in the respective areas.

(24157)

169

Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how much funding from the Single Regeneration Budget was granted to projects in Cornwall between 1997 and 2001.

(24159)

170

Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how much funding from the Single Regeneration Budget was granted to projects in Cornwall between 1994 and 1997.

(24160)

171 N

Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what contingency plans his Department and the SRA have made for line closures.

(23941)

172 N

Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when he will publish the Ernst and Young report into the value for money review of PPP.

(23940)

173

Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, where the top six predicted road accident blackspots are; and what estimate he has made of the predicted number of deaths in each one in the next 30 year period.

(24059)

174 N

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will list the major existing road schemes in the Local Transport Settlement that are due to be carried out in 2002-03; which additional schemes have been (a) postponed because work is still progress and (b) rejected; and which authorities will receive the additional funding provided for road maintenance in 2002-03.

(23987)

175 N

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the administrator is running Railtrack to ensure that (a) routine signal, track and other maintenance is carried out and (b) the safety standards previously required of Railtrack are maintained.

(23986)

176 N

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what discussions he has had with (a) the HSE, (b) Railtrack PLC, (c) the administrator of his staff and (d) Mr Alan Cooksey concerning issues of rail safety since Railtrack was put into administration.

(23985)

177 N

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what plans he has to fund by PFI (a) new and (b) existing major road schemes announced in the Local Transport Capital Settlement 2002-03.

(23984)

178 N

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will list the regeneration projects (a) wholly and (b) partly funded by the Government in Islington since May 1997, with the expenditure to date on each project by central government.

(23643)

179

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how many managerial grade employees of Railtrack have tendered their resignation since 7th October.

(24171)

180

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 13th December, Official Report, column 1015W, in what circumstances he will increase the funding provided for in the commercial loan agreement, as provided for in sections 9.1, 2.1 and 2.2.

(24253)

181

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 13th December, Official Report, column 1015W, what variations in budget have been recorded in management accounts provided by Railtrack under section 8.1.6.(a).

(24252)

182

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will make a statement on UK involvement in the European Rail Research Advisory Council.

(24123)

183

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 13th December, Official Report, column 1014W, on Railtrack, from what potential sources the proposed company limited by guarantee secure funds would make a payment to the administrator on the final day of administration; and if he will make a statement.

(24254)

184

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will make a statement on the change in gross provision for other railways in the winter estimates.

(24122)

185

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will make a statement on the change in gross provision for the Strategic Rail Authority in the winter estimates.

(24121)

186

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will make a statement on the increased provision in section lxviii of the winter estimates.

(24120)

187

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 13th December, Official Report, column 1014W on Railtrack, if the Government's policy is to permit the disposal of Railtrack assets to secure the funds listed.

(24255)

188

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, whether the proposed company limited by guarantee will need to secure adequate commercial loan facilities to enable it to repay the commercial loan agreement between the Department and the Administrator simultaneously with the ending of the Railtrack administration.

(24174)

189

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will make a statement on the implications of Directive 91/440/EEC for the future structure of railways.

(24173)

190

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will make a statement on the implications of Directive 2001/14/EC on the future management of the UK rail infrastructure.

(24172)

191

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, which senior executives of train operating companies he has held discussions with since 7th October.

(24170)

192

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what proportion of the funding requirement for Railtrack in the period to 31st March 2002 will come from sources other than funds covered by the commercial loan agreement; and if he will list these alternative sources.

(24125)

193

Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will make a statement on UK involvement in COTIF.

(24124)

194 N

Mr Michael Howard (Folkestone & Hythe): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when he will announce his decision on the recommendations contained in the report of the working party into alternatives to Operation Stack.

(23939)

195

Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when he expects to bring forward proposals to establish a company limited by guarantee to take over the functions previously undertaken by Railtrack.

(24138)

196

Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what representations he has received relating to the vertical integration of rail services and the railway network within Scotland.

(24139)

197

Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what representation he has made of the European Commission concerning the impact on intra-community trade of the SNCF restriction of Channel Tunnel rail freight services.

(24098)

198 N

Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when he will reply to the letter of 16th November from the honourable Member for Maidenhead regarding his special adviser Jo Moore.

(23925)

199

Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will make a statement on the progress towards better integration of motorcycles into overall transport planning.

(24161)

200

Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what progress he has made towards reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured in road accidents involving cars and motorcyclists over the past 12 months.

(24162)

201

Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what measures he is taking to ensure that local authorities introduce motorcycle safety programmes and car driver targeted motorcycle awareness campaigns in local authority areas.

(24164)

202

Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when he intends to publish guidance for local authorities about the installation of secure parking facilities for motorcycles in towns and cities.

(24163)

203

Mr Richard Page (South West Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 6th December, Official Report, column 443W, on Underground environment, what are the relative weights ascribed to the passenger ambience factors by the PPP contracts for London Underground in respect of (a) graffiti, (b) litter, (c) scratched windows, (d) broken lights and (e) dirt.

(24249)

204

Mr Richard Page (South West Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 6th December, Official Report, column 443W, how many mystery shoppers are employed on the London Underground; and how the findings are reported.

(24250)

205

Mr Richard Page (South West Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 6th December, Official Report, column 443W, if he will publish each weight applied to each attribute covered in the PPP contracts.

(24251)

206 N

Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what funds allocated by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies are ring-fenced for specific purposes; and if he will list the allocations of funds involved.

(22951)

207

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Answer of 12th December, Official Report, Column 889W, on capital assets, if he will place in the Library information on the accounting treatment of the public private partnership projects relating to (a) British Dartford Thurrock Crossing, (b) Second Severn Crossing, (c) Birmingham North Relief Road, (d) Midland Metro, (e) Northern Line Trains, (f) A69, (g) A50, (h) A19, (i)A417/419, (j) M40, (k) A30/35, (l) A1(M), (m) Manchester Metrolink, (n) Docklands Light Railway Extensions, (o) Croydon Tramlink and (p) M1/A1 Link Road; and if he will make a statement.

(24176)

208

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he has drawn up contingency plans for the company limited by guarantee if it fails to achieve a credit rating of A/A2; and if he will make a statement.

(24179)

209

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for Vote III, Environment, Transport and the Regions, subcategories (a) 1 Housing, construction, regeneration, regional policy, planning and countryside and wildlife, Engand, (b) 2 Roads, local transport and transport industries and (c) 4 Local Government: England; and if he will make a statement.

(24110)

210 N

Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, whether the Government Advisory Group for Motorcycling has been disbanded.

(23699)

211 N

Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will give the latest annualised cost of means-tested benefits for those also in receipt of a retirement pension, broken down by (a) minimum income guarantee payments, (b) housing benefit, (c) council tax benefit, (d) disability benefits and (e) other benefits.

(23329)

212 N

Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if adjudicating officers deciding on the eligibility for attendance allowance are advised to consider virtual inability to walk as defined by Cassinelli v Secretary of State for Social Services TLR 6/12/91 as evidence that constant daytime supervision is required.

(22959)

213 N

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many attacks on staff have taken place in each Benefits Agency office in Greater London in each of the last five years.

(23638)

214 N

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what were the staffing levels for each of the last five years in the Benefits Agency offices at (a) Elthorne Road, London N19, and (b) Seven Sisters Road, London N7, the number of callers per day for the equivalent period and the average waiting time.

(23637)

215

Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for bereavement payments have been refused in each year since 1995; and how many were refused because of late claims.

(24062)

216 N

Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost savings arising from the simplification of income support and the income based element of the job seekers allowance as a consequence of the provisions of the Tax Credits Bill.

(23998)

217 N

Mr David Miliband (South Shields): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in South Shields are claiming (a) incapacity benefit, (b) working families tax credit and (c) children's tax credit.

(23770)

218

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners, affected by the hospital downrating rules, have had demands to pay back to the Pensions Service sums of (a) between £25 and £50, (b) between £51 and £100, (c) between £101 and £200 and (d) more than £200, in the last year for which figures are available.

(24065)

219

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will quantify the cost of administrating the task of (a) reducing the pensions of pensioners and (b) collecting retrospective deductions from pensioners who have been in hospital for more than (i) six and (ii) 52 weeks.

(24069)

220

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact on old people whose pensions are reduced while in hospital.

(24067)

221

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average value was of pension reduction applied to pensioners who had hospital stays of (a) more than six and (b) more than 52 weeks, in the last year for which figures are available.

(24066)

222

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to improve the means of informing pensioners of their obligations to notify the Pensions Service when they have been in hospital for more than six weeks.

(24064)

223

Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners, affected by the hospital downrating rules, had their pensions reduced after (a) six and (b) 52 weeks in hospital in the last year for which figures are available.

(24068)

224 N

Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funds allocated by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies are ring-fenced for specific purposes; and if he will list the allocations of funds involved.

(22953)

225

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who no longer receive (a) one and (b) more than one means-tested benefit due to the introduction of the minimum wage; and if he will make a statement.

(24104)

226

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for the Welfare to Work category; and if he will make a statement.

(24107)

227 N

Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he will answer question 18002, on his Department's IT projects, tabled by the honourable Member for Northavon on 21st November.

(23923)

228

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Child Support Agency costings required by his Department's Euro Programme.

(24212)

229

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he will place responses to the consultation on carers' benefits in the Library.

(24215)

230

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Glasgow, Govan of 30th November, Official Report, column 1166W, for what reasons the estimated cost of benefit fraud is different from the estimate offered by the Lord Chancellor in his Answer to the honourable Member for Buckingham on 26th November, Official Report, column 987W.

(24238)

231

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training was given to his Department's staff with regard to the Social Security (JobCentre Plus Interviews) Regulations 2001 before they came into effect on 23rd October

(24218)

232

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit application forms his Department and agencies produce; to which benefits these forms relate; and if he will place copies of each form in the Library.

(24213)

233

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the final maintenance assessment accuracy figure is for the Child Support Agency in each year since 1997.

(24211)

234

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of benefit recipients have received their benefits by automated credit transfer in each year since ACT was introduced.

(24240)

235

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list each way in which benefit recipients can have their benefit income reduced because of a sanction; and how many people have been subject to each of these sanctions during the last year for which figures are available.

(24239)

236

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the national staffing requirements for JobCentre Plus, and the average wage per employee will be; what the combined national staffing requirements were for the Benefits Agency and Employment Service, and the average wage per employee; and what will happen to employees that are surplus to the JobCentre Plus staffing requirements.

(24222)

237

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many reports OPRA has received of companies that failed to designate a stakeholder pension in time for the 8th October deadline; how many fines it has imposed as a result; and what the total value of fines imposed is.

(24221)

238

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the marginal benefit withdrawal rate will be from October 2003 for a pensioner on the pension credit who also receives (a) council tax benefit, (b) housing benefit and (c) council tax benefit and housing benefit.

(24234)

239

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer to the honourable Member for Sutton and Cheam of 19th November, Official Report, columns 66-7W, what measures are being considered to encourage those aged 60 years and over to claim the benefits to which they are entitled.

(24244)

240

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 23rd October, Official Report, column 179W, if he will list the consultation papers released by his Department during the summer recess.

(24220)

241

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library (a) a summary and (b) a complete set of responses to the Pension Credit consultation paper.

(24242)

242

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 18th October, Official Report, Column 1301W, how many winter fuel payments have been returned to his Department in each year since 1997.

(24214)

243

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Daventry, of 19th November, Official Report, Column 152W, how take-up of disability living allowance amongst eligible children is kept under review.

(24246)

244

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the changes that individual benefit offices in the JobCentre Plus areas have been asked to make to ensure they are accessible to incapacity benefit claimants, with specific reference to changes to (a) buildings, (b) furniture and (c) printed materials.

(24219)

245

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if self-employed people will be required to join the State Second Pension.

(24228)

246

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 16th November, Official Report, Column 534W, how much was paid in each year since 1992 into (a) defined benefit pension schemes and (b) defined contribution pension schemes.

(24227)

247

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 27th November, Official Report, Column 828W, which section of the table shows the costs of the 'What Have You Got to Offer?' advertising campaign.

(24230)

248

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the full cost of the ONE Programme will be, broken down into different stages, as it is rolled out.

(24229)

249

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what were the average processing times for claims to (a) disability living allowance, and (b) attendance allowance, in each month since January; and what were the average processing times for these benefits in each full year since 1997.

(24217)

250

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much must a person hold in savings to receive a weekly income of £23, assuming that interest is paid at (a) the bank base rate and (b) 10 per cent.

(24224)

251 N

Mr Chris Pond (Gravesham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what progress he has made in implementing the recommendations of Lord Justice Clarke's Inquiry into the Marchioness and River Safety; and if he will make a statement.

[Question Unstarred](21588)

252 N

Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on what basis the average funding per pupil under the New Opportunities for PE and Sport Fund was determined in respect of (a) Herefordshire Council and (b) Birmingham Council ; and if she will make a statement.

[Transferred](23816)

253

Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the UK Spectrum Management Review.

[Transferred](24078)

254

Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the President of the Council, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000-01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000-01: Provisional Outturn, for Vote XIII, subsection 4 House of Commons: Members' Salaries; and if he will make a statement.

[Transferred](24117)

255

Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much regional selective assistance funding has been granted to Cornwall since 1997.

[Transferred](24158)

256

Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the first stage of the changes to NIRS2 needed to support the introduction of stakeholder pensions was completed by the October deadline.